What I Learned From Five Women in Swine
By: Cris Soronio
I hope you’re enjoying my Women in Swine series. Thank you to SwineWeb for promoting these articles. When I was first asked to start interviewing women working in the swine industry, I was nervous.
I thought talking with them would be difficult. These women had spent years building their careers in production, veterinary medicine, compliance, and leadership, while I was still learning a lot about the industry myself.
Five interviews later, I feel very differently.
They were easy to talk to. They were honest about their experiences, including the difficult parts of their careers. They shared advice, talked about mistakes they had made, and explained what they had learned along the way.
I realized that although their careers are very different, they all seem to have something in common.
They are curious. They ask questions. And they are not afraid to keep learning.
Five Women, Five Different Careers
The first woman I featured was Alina Porta.
Alina’s career taught me about the importance of knowing the work and staying humble. She built her career through experience and believes that leadership is not just about having a title. You have to understand the work and earn the trust of the people you lead.
Next was Tiffany Lee, whose career took her into an area of the industry she initially knew very little about.
One thing that stood out to me about Tiffany was her curiosity. She asks questions, especially “why?” Instead of being uncomfortable with what she doesn’t know, she uses questions to understand things better.
Then I spoke with Johanna Cser.
Johanna didn’t grow up in agriculture and started her career with little knowledge of pigs. She learned by working in the barns, listening to people around her, and asking questions.
Her career shows that you don’t need to start with all the experience. You can learn along the way if you’re willing to do the work.
My fourth conversation was with Kayla Castevens, and something she said stayed with me.
She isn’t afraid to say, “I don’t know.”
If she doesn’t know something, she finds someone who does. She asks the question, learns from the answer, and comes back knowing more than she did before.
Most recently, I spoke with Brigitte Davenport.
Brigitte’s career started with a summer job at a sow farm and eventually led her to become Director of Sows for Country View Family Farms’ Indiana region.
One thing that stood out to me from Brigitte’s story was how experience changed the way she handles problems. Early in her career, she realized you don’t always know what questions you should be asking. Over time, she learned to slow down, ask more questions, and look beyond the first answer.
She also talked about being new to the industry, learning to handle difficult situations, and now helping others grow in their careers.
It's Okay to Say "I Don't Know"
After talking with these five women, this may be my biggest takeaway.
You don’t have to know everything.
If you don’t know something, ask.
There is no shame in saying, “I don’t know.”
Sometimes we put pressure on ourselves to have all the answers, especially when we’re talking with people who have much more experience than we do.
But these conversations showed me that people who have built successful careers are still learning too.
They ask questions. They learn from other people. They make mistakes. They adjust. And they keep going.
Not knowing something gives you a reason to learn.
From Nervous to Something I Want to Continue
When I started this series, I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy it.
Now I want to continue.
Every conversation teaches me something new about the swine industry and the people who work in it. I’m also getting to know more people, building relationships, and hearing career stories I probably would not have heard otherwise.
I’m proud to help share their stories.
I’m looking forward to hearing more.
I’m looking to feature more women and leaders in pork production. If you know someone whose story should be shared, or if you’d like to share your own experience, I’d love to hear from you.
You can reach me at cris@continentalsearch.com, and we can set up a time to talk.
